The winter storm that hit Buffalo over Christmas weekend has killed at least 39 people in Erie County, leaving families devastated by the conditions in which loved ones died.
According to Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz, of the 39 people who died, 31 were Buffalo residents and seven lived in suburban Williamsville, Amherst, Cheektowaga and Depew.
Among the deceased is a Hispanic.
“Unfortunately, there are families in this community who still haven't been able to identify where a loved one is.
They are missing," Poloncarz said at a press conference.
As the week has passed, relatives and friends of some of the deceased have shared who the victims were and how they were found.
carolyn eubanks
One of the deceased was a 63-year-old woman who depended on an oxygen machine to survive.
According to the local newspaper, The Buffalo News, Carolyn Eubanks lost power at her home in Cheektowaga.
Her son Antwaine Parker and her stepbrother Kenneth Johnson wanted to take her by car to a house that the woman had in Lovejoy, New York, but shortly after starting the road, Eubanks could not resist and began to drown.
According to what Parker told the local newspaper, his mother complained that she "couldn't take it anymore" and remained silent in her son's arms.
Parker tried to call for help at home and a couple revived the woman but to no avail.
Eubanks' body remained at that home until Sunday when paramedics were able to arrive, according to The Buffalo News.
Anndel Nicole Taylor
The 22-year-old auxiliary nurse was driving home from work on Friday, December 23, when her car got stuck in the snow.
According to The New York Times, Taylor tried to call emergency services and was put on hold.
Anndel Taylor with her father.Taylor family
Then, according to the post, she told her family that she was scared and fell asleep.
"She went to sleep hoping they would save her as she was told," said her older sister, Shawnequa Renee Brown.
Stasia Jóźwiak
On Friday afternoon Stasia Jóźwiak, 73, wanted to buy fresh fish to prepare a traditional Polish meal for Christmas Eve, but on the way to the store her car got stuck in the snow.
Stasia Jóźwiak, 73, died trapped in her car in the storm.Courtesy Edie Syta
According to the account of his daughter Edie
Syta told NBC News, the woman spoke to her and told her to "pray."
"She told me: 'I need a miracle from God. Can you pray for me?' She told me that she loved me. I told her that I loved her too," says Syta.
"I told him, 'Hold on tight.'"
Despite the family's efforts to rescue her from the snow, they failed.
The woman stopped answering the phone and her daughter called the police, the National Guard, the phone company, emergency numbers and any friend who could help her several times, but all efforts were in vain.
Abdul Sharifu
The 26-year-old man left his home to buy food despite being told not to by his wife, who is due to give birth to their son in a week.
His car was found abandoned in the snow, but his body was found later.
According to The New York Times, friends believe she tried to walk home.
Sharifu was a refugee from Congo who fled in 2017.
monique-alexander
The 53-year-old mother left her home at 3:00 p.m. Saturday and told her daughter, Casey Maccarone, that she would be back.
After 30 minutes, her daughter tried to communicate but was unsuccessful, after two hours she began to ask on Facebook if they had seen her mother.
According to The New York Times, a man named Emmanuel Bobe told him that he had found Alexander's body frozen and had taken it to a nearby jewelry store and then called the police.
"She was everyone's favorite, whether it was the cousin, the grandmother, everything," Maccarone said.
Timothy M Murphy
Murphy, 27, was found dead at his home after snow covered his home and allowed carbon monoxide to escape.
The young man lived with his aunt, Kathy Murphy, who was found unconscious in the house.
His cousin Steven Murphy helped get Timothy's pets out to safety.
"It's the definition of tragedy," a family member told The New York Times.
